Announcement
Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss WINS Indoor City 800m Title!!! Eric Nelson WINS Indoor City High Jump Title!!!
On Sunday, March 15, 2009, the Northside College Prep Varsity Mens All-Star Track & Field Team traveled to Henry Crown Stadium at the University of Chicago, to take on 33 Chicago Public High Schools in the 2009 Indoor City Championships. Team Trophies were awarded to the Top three teams, and Medals were awarded to the Top 6 Individuals in each event.
Henry Crown Stadium features an athlete friendly atmosphere, upper deck seating, 200m Indoor Track and has been the host to numerous National meets, and local Championship meets as well. The Varsity letter was invented in the 1890s by Amos Alonzo Stagg as he was sitting on the entrance steps to Henry Crown Field house. The main wall of the stadium constains a list of field house records, which include several Olympians. The first Heisman Trophy winner (1935), Hay Berwanger is still listed on the all-time list for Henry Crown for the 55m Dash. Henry Crown Field house is a Chicago landmark that is rich in Track & Field history.
A special thanks to CPS Track & Field cordinator Thomas Smith for hosting an outstanding meet, and for providing a great Track & Field experience for all of the athletes and spectators.
The Mustangs beat every Team in their IHSA Sectional, which was very important, and came away with two individual City Champions (High Jump, 800m run), also, a record number of medals at Indoor City Championships, and a new school record in the 800m run!! (2:04.65).
Harlan Academy won the meet with 71 points. Mather finished in second place with 51. Walter Payton finished in third place with 39 points. Northside College Prep finished in fourth place with 37 points and posted VICTORIES over Whitney Young (31 points), Kenwood Academy (25 points), Harper (22 points), Robeson (16 points), Fenger (16 points), Dunbar (12 points), Bogan (10 points), Simeon (10 points), Lake View (9 points), Calumet (8 points), Chicago Vocational (8 points), Steinmetz (8 points), South Shore (6 points), Jones (6 points), Kings (6 points), Brooks College Prep (4 points), Urban Prep (4 points), North Lawndale (2 points), Lincoln Park (1 point), Corliss (1 point), John F. Kennedy (0 points), Bowen (0 points), Granger Park (0 points), Hope Academy (0 points), Prosser (0 points), Taft (0 points), Hancock (0 points), Uplift (0 points), Manley (0 points), Kelly (0 points), and Du Sable (0 points). The Northside Varsity Men now have a season record of 51-13!!!
Congratulations to Harlan Academy Head Coach Dr. Mark Thompson and staff on winning their first Indoor City Championship. They will be appearing on CPS television this evening for a special Trophy presentation. Harlan Academy is currently undefeated, and has already beaten the defending State Champions, East St.Louis High School.
In the Long Jump, Harper Senior Jelone Carroll won it with a jump of 20'6. Payton Senior Donovan Harris finished in second place with 20'1.75. Whitney Young Junior Cameron Allen finished in third place with a jump of 20'01. Harlan Academy Sophomore Tashaun Johnson finished in fourth place with a jump of 18'10.50. Lake View Junior Donald Cheeks finished in fifth place with a jump of 18'06. Northside Senior Martin Melto completed the scoring with an outstanding jump of 18'04.75 to place sixth overall. Martin Melto was awarded a Medal for placing sixth overall! On a side note, John F. Kennedy High School had a Junior in the competion by the name of Ernie Banks, jump 14'10.75. However, we do not know yet if he is related to the hall of fame baseball player.
In the Shot Put, Mather Junior Ameen Solebo won it with an outstanding throw of 47'10. Harlan Academy Senior George DeBerry finished in second place with a throw of 46'06.50. Steinmetz Senior Brandon Calhoun finishined in third place with a throw of 43'09.50. Harper Senior Cordarryl Banks finished in fourth place with a throw of 40'04.00. Northside Senior Eric Nelson earned a Medal, by finishing in fifth place with a season best throw of 40'03.00. Whitney Young Junior Ryan Rosiak completed the scoring by finishing in sixth place with a throw of 40'01.00.
In the High Jump, the opening height was set at 5'2. Eight Athletes were able to clear it, and then the bar was raised to 5'4. Manley Senior Patrick Givens made three quality attempts at 5'4, and finished in eight place with an outstanding jump of 5'2. The remaining seven athletes cleared 5'4, or passed to a higher height. The bar was then raised to 5'6. Hope Junior Allen Watson and Mather Junior Eddie Seda made three quality attempts at 5'6, and tied for sixth place with a jump of 5'4. The tie was broken by awarding sixth place to the athlete with the least total number of misses in the competition. Mather Junior Eddie Seda had the least total number of misses, and was awarded sixth place, and a Medal for scoring and earning All City honors. The bar was then raised to 5'8. Mather Junior Steven Devroe, Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Sophomore Mark Gaines, Kenwood Academy Junior Tarik Simpkins, Harlan Junior Trevor Gills, and Northside Senior Eric Nelson remained in the competition. Northside Senior Eric Nelson came into the meet, having his best practice of the season on the Friday prior to the meet, training and jumping with former NCAA Division I two-time National qualifier Coach Cordell Lewis. However, on his very first attempt at 5'8, Northside Senior Eric Nelson injuried his hamstring. Eric Nelson decided to stay in the competition, and felt it was just tweaked at that point in the meet. Eric cleared 5'8 on his second attempt. Kenwood Academy Junior Tarik Simpkins also cleared 5'8. Harlan Academy Trevor Gills also cleared 5'8. Whitney Young Junior Stephan Devroe (5th), and Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Sophomore Mark Gaines (4th) made three quality attempts at 5'8, and earned Medals and All City honors by finishing in 5th and 4th place respectively. The bar was then raised to 5'10. Kenwood Academy Junior Tarik Simpkins made three quality attempts at 5'10, and the crowd applauded his efforts. Tarik Simpkins was awarded a Medal, and All City honors for placing third overall with an outstanding jump of 5'8. The bar was then raised to 6'0 with only two athletes remaining. Harlan Academy Junior Trevor Gills and Northside Senior Eric Nelson both cleared 6'0, and the entire stadium crowd cheered. The bar was then raised to 6'2. Northside Senior Eric Nelson cleared it, and again the stadium crowd cheered. Harlan Academy Junior Trevor Gills made three quality attempts at 6'2, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his outstanding efforts. Trevor Gills was awarded a Medal for placing second overall, and earned All City honors. As a result of his hamstring injury, Eric Nelson took no further jumps, and was scratched by the Northside coaching staff from both the Triple Jump and 4x400m relay. The Northside coaching staff did not want to take any chances with the hamstring injury, and it will be looked at by an ATI physical trainer on Monday afternoon for further evaluation. Northside Senior Eric Nelson was awarded a Medal for WINNING the 2009 Indoor City High Jump Title for the second consecutive year!! His mental toughness and determination was incredible.
In the Triple Jump, Northside Senior Eric Nelson was scratched from the event as a result of a injury to his hamstring during the high jump competition. Payton Senior Donovan Harris won it with a jump of 42'05.75. Kenwood Academy Junior Matthew Funches finished in third place with a jump of 40'00. Mather Senior Bruce Hawk finished in third place with a jump of 39'11. Harlan Academy Senior George DeBerry finished in fourth place with a jump of 39'6. Urban Prep Junior Rayvaughn Hignes finished in fifth place with a jump of 38'11. Gwendolyn Brooks Senior Joshua Brown completed the scoring, and earned a medal by placing sixth with an outstanding jump of 36'9.50.
In the Exhibition 3200m run, Northside featured Sophomore Erik Zuehlke, one of the front-runners to be the Mustangs fifth man on the defending IHSA Regional Champion Cross Country Team in 2009, along with Northside Freshman Taylor Kuehn. In the 3200m run, Lincoln Park Senior Jacob Cetera won it with an outstanding time of 10:51. Mather Freshman Abe Haji finished in second place with a time of 11:12. Whitney Young Sophomore Liam Burns finished in third place with a time of 11:18.29. Northside Sophomore Erik Zuehlke showed great determination and guts by passing two athletes in the final 400m to earn a Medal, and All City honors, by finishing in fourth place overall with a personal best time of 11:29.36. Kelly's Daniel Gonzalez finished in fifth place with a time of 11:32.69. Kenwood Academy Sophomore Terrel James completed the scoring by finishing in sixth place overall with an outstanding time of 12:03. Terrel James was awarded a Medal and earned All City honors by finishing in the top six in the 3200m run.
In the Varsity 4x800m Relay, Northside finished in second place with a time of 8:45. Northside Senior Brandon Cooper ran an 800m split of 2:10 on the first leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Senior Jon Kittaka. Jon Kittaka ran an 800m split of 2:10 on the second leg of the relay, and made a nice hand-off to Junior Cooper Eben. Cooper Eben ran an 800m split of 2:14 on third leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Wesley Laytham. Wesley Laytham ancored the Mustangs to second place, with an 800m split of 2:11, for a total time of 8:45. Brandon Cooper, Jon Kittaka, Cooper Eben, and Wesley Laytham were awarded Silver Medals for placing second overall.
In the 55m Hurdles, Northside Sophomore Hersh Perlmutter made the finals with a personal best time of 9.07. In the Finals, Payton Senior Donovan Harris won it with an outstanding time of 8.05. Harris scored a meet record 28 points for Payton by winning the 55m Hurdles, and Triple Jump, and placing second in the Long Jump. Harlan Senior George DeBerry finished in second place with a time of 8.42. South Shore Sophomore Michael Jones finished in third place with a time of 8.48. Mather Sophomore Rahim Foster finished in fourth place with a time of 8.68. North Lawndale Senior LaDarius Madlock finished in fifth place with a time of 8.72. Urban Prep Junior Jamil Boldian completed the scoring by placing sixth overall with a time of 8.83. Northside Sophomore Hersh Perlmutter ran a time of 9.25 in the finals to place eigth overall.
In the 55m Dash, the Northside coaching staff selected Northside Junior Steven Burke to run the 55m Dash in the Indoor City Championships, and Burke let down the Team by failing to attend the meet without any notice. As a result, the Mustangs scored 0 points in the 55m dash. CPS rules prohibit substitutions on the day of the meet. 80% of life is about showing up, and that has been a problem for the Northside sprinters this year. Harlan Senior Darien Williams won it with a time of 6.67. Bogan Junior Jamel Donald finished in second place with a time of 6.79. Harper Senior Jelone Carroll finished in third place with a time of 6.84. Chicago Vocational Senior Gary Bennett finished in fourth place with a time of 6.87. SAC Senior Brandon Calhoun finished in fifth place with a time of 6.90. DuVo Deshuan Rutledge finished in sixth place to complete the scoring with a time of 6.93.
In the 800m run, Northside Junior Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss BROKE THE SCHOOL RECORD to WIN the INDOOR CPS 800m TITLE with a personal best time of 2:04.65. The school record was previously held by Northside legend John Krumsee (2:05.80). Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss ran 200m splits of 30, 31, 31, and 32 for a personal best time of 2:04.65. Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss was awarded a Gold Medal for WINNING the 2009 Indoor 800m Title! Harlan Junior Vincent Perkins finished in second place with a personal best time of 2:05.79. Mather Senior Mikey Medina finished in third place with a time of 2:09.68. Kenwood Academy Sophomore Joseph Laseter finished in fourth place with a time of 2:15.90. Whitney Young Junior Lamar Gary finished in fifth place with a time of 2:18.82. Payton Junior Jimmy Brown completed the scoring by placing sixth overall with a time of 2:18.90.
In the 4x200m Relay, Northside Senior Martin Melto ran a 200m split of 25.24 on the first leg of the relay. Northside Freshman Mac Melto ran a 200m split of 26.96 on the second leg of the relay. Northside Sophomore Luke Sobieraj ran a 200m split of 27.09 on the third leg of the relay. Northside Sophomore Wesley Laytham anchored the relay with a 25.56 200m split, for a total time of 1:44.85.
In the 400m Dash, Whitney Young Sophomore Julian Deville won it with a time of 53.53. Calumet Freshman Spencer Williams finished in second place with a time of 54.21. Harlan Sophomore Welton Crayton finished in third place with a time of 54.25. Lake View Senior Romeo Jurardo finished in fourth place with a time of 55.67. Mather Junior Sergio Martinez finished in fifth place with a time of 56.15. Urban Prep Junior Jamil Boldian completed the scoring by placing sixth overall with an outstanding time of 56.17. Northside Junior Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss ran an outstanding time of 57.88.
In the Mile, Payton Junior Jose Mora won it with a time of 4:39.84. Mather Senior Ivan Coronel finished in second place with a time of 4:44.81. Jones College Prep Senior Kelly Griffin finished in third place with a time of 4:48.62. Northside Sophomore Charlie Mesimore finished in fourth place with a official time of 4:50.73. Charlie Mesimore was awarded a Medal for placing fourth overall. Charlie Mesimore ran the first 800m in 2:22, and the final 800m in 2:28, for a season best time of 4:50.73. Kenwood Academy Sophomore Omar Tall finished in fifth place with a time of 5:01.05. Lake View Sophomore Oscar Medinia finished in sixth place to complete the scoring with an outstanding time of 5:01.14.
In the 200m Dash, Northside Senior John Byrne re-injured his quadricep on the final straightaway, and it didn't look like he would be able to finish, but his determination prevailed, and Byrne ran on one leg to the finish for a time of 28.42. The Mustangs hope to have Byrne back in time for the start of the outdoor season.
In the 4x400m Relay, Northside Sophomore Wesley Laytham ran a 55.81 400m split on the first leg, and made a nice exchange to Senior Brandon Cooper. Brandon Cooper ran a 55.69 400m split on the second leg of the relay, and made a nice hand-off to Junior Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss. Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss ran a 57.56 400m split on the third leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Charlie Mesimore. Charlie Mesimore anchored the Mustangs to first in their heat, and 5th overall, with a 60.80 400m split, for a total time of 3:49.96.
VARSITY POINTS SCORED AT CPS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
1. Eric Nelson 12.00
2. Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss 10.50
3. Charlie Mesimore 4.50
4. Wesley Laytham 2.50
4. Brandon Cooper 2.50
5. Cooper Eben 2.00
5. Jon Kittaka 2.00
6. Martin Melto 1.00
VARSITY POINTS SCORED - SEASON TOTAL (6 Meets)
1. Eric Nelson 51.50
2. Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss 48.75
3. Charlie Mesimore 26.25
4. Hersh Perlmutter 23.50
5. Jon Kittaka 22.75
6. Martin Melto 20.00
7. Steven Burke 13.00
7. Wesley Laytham 13.00
8. Brandon Cooper 10.25
9. Luke Sobieraj 8.00
10. Wemi Jemine 7.20
11. Cooper Eben 6.25
12. John Konow 6.00
13. Albert Lin 5.00
14. Jusuf Skelic 4.50
15. James Rey 3.50
16. Hunter Speese 3.25
17. Brian Chhun 3.00
18. John Byrne 2.50
18. Simon Vecchioni 2.50
18. Kevin Jaburek 2.50
19. Mac Melto 2.00
19. Ed Moreno 2.00
19. Sam Olver 2.00
19. Andrew Czyszczon 2.00
20. Sam Vergara 1.50
20. Rafael Confino 1.50
20. Saul Silveyra 1.50
21. Nathan Michaelson 1.00
21. Peter Wilk 1.00
21. Norman Lee 1.00
All Athletes that score a Varsity point in any meet during the season, earn a Varsity letter.
